The Denver County Fair made international news last year with the introduction of its pot pavilion, surely a first anywhere in the world. But the thrill is gone, and that party's over. Fair organizers today announced that the timely experiment won't be back at this year's fifth annual three-day event at the National Western Complex. Instead, they'll be throwing themselves into the fair's next big thing – the Kitten Pavilion, a huge new undertaking banking on the power of Internet memes and the addictive quality of feline fandom.

"We're so excited to be launching this great cat-centered area of the fair and start setting another trend," says fair co-owner and creative director Tracy Weil. "The Pot Pavilion was perfect for 2014, to acknowledge the first year of legal recreational marijuana in Denver. By now, it's gotten pretty old-hat here, though – there's an overload of cannabis events around town. So we decided to retire the Pot Pavilion and do something no one else was doing here, with the first Kitten Pavilion. Denver is definitely a cat-loving city!"

The Kitten Pavilion will feature more than 250 live show cats at the Denver County Fair, July 31-August 2 at the National Western Complex.

Denver County Fair

The idea of the pot pavilion also wore thin on fair organizers in the days and weeks after the event when several people reported that they were sickened after having eaten candy bars provided by one of the vendors; there wasn't supposed to be any actual cannabis on the premises. A related lawsuit was eventually filed related to that situation.

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When the cat pavilion opens on July 31, it will feature appearances by sweetheart meme cat Lil BUB (those opting for the $50 VIP meet-and-greet will have the extra perk of being able to pet, kiss and have a photo taken with the Internet heroine), a two-day sanctioned cat show hosted by the International Cat Association and the Yellow Rose Cat Club, blue-ribbon kitty contests, adoptable pets, cat-centric vendors and more.

"We're going to out-cat CatCon," Denver County Fair director and co-owner Dana Cain promises. "It was great, but folks wanted to see more cats.” The CatCon, which debuted earlier this year in Los Angeles, was mysteriously devoid of actual cats on the premises, she notes.

Bring on the cats! Visit the Kitten Pavilion at the Denver County Fair July 31 through August 2 at the National Western Complex. Tickets, $10 for adults and $5 for kids, seniors and military ( children under age 5 admitted free) are now on sale; purchase yours in advance and get more information at the Denver County Fair website.

Susan Froyd is a Denver native who studied English, Art and finally Journalism at Metro State University, and also managed movie theaters and sold art supplies before landing at Westword in 1992. Decades later, she still feels privileged to serve the vibrant artists in all disciplines who make our town a more engaging place to live.

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